Luxury travel services in Antarctica

Visitors to Antarctica are accommodated in luxury suites on large ships, enjoy fine dining, a spa and are provided with special cold-weather clothing.

Tourists flock to the coldest place on Earth - Antarctica. (Photo: Andrew Peacock)

On a sunny afternoon in Antarctica, the cruise ship Seabourn Pursuit crashed head-on into an iceberg in Hanusse Bay.

According to CNN Travel , the ship was hurtling forward, ice cracking beneath the bow. The 250 passengers on board calmly went out onto the balcony and leaned over the deck to see what was happening.

There was no crowding into the lifeboats as happened on the ill-fated Titanic. Instead, passengers walked down the stairs one by one, to begin their walk on the ice.

Mr. and Mrs. McCurdy pose for a souvenir photo in Antarctica. (Photo: Jason Evans)

The crash was not an accident, but a planned experience. The organizers even prepared tables lined with champagne glasses to welcome visitors to Antarctica.

Among the passengers that day were Greg and Susana McCurdy from Las Vegas (USA). Holding glasses of champagne, the McCurdys posed for a photo with a scarf printed with the words “The 7th Continent - Antarctica 2024”.

The tourism boom to Antarctica began before Covid-19. In the early 1990s, only about 7,000 tourists visited the “white continent” each year, according to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators.

However, the number has exploded over the past half decade, with the number of visitors to Antarctica surpassing 122,000 this year.

Traveling to the coldest continent on Earth was not a luxury in the past, with visitors often travelling on old icebreakers from Russia, Canada or other polar nations.

Robin West, Seabourn’s vice president and general manager of expeditions, visited the harsh region in 2002. He said many of the ships then had bunk beds and shared bathrooms. Few had windows to look outside.

Seabourn Pursuit uses its bow to cut through ice in Antarctica. (Photo: Jason Evans)

The experience is much different today. Cruise Critic editor-in-chief Colleen McDaniel says cruise lines like Ponant, Silversea, Seabourn and Scenic have made great strides in recent years in offering luxury experiences to travelers in Antarctica.

They offer luxury onboard rooms, fine dining and a spa, but guests can pay extra to go submarine boarding or explore the waters of Antarctica by kayak.

Passengers are provided with specially designed cold-weather clothing to keep them warm while wandering among the penguins and seals.

Wildlife is a big draw on Antarctic cruises. (Photo: Jason Evans)

Cruise lines Celebrity, Norwegian and Princess are offering new tours that allow passengers to see Antarctica on board without ever setting foot on the icy land.

As tourism to Antarctica increases, some experts have warned about the environmental impact.

A study published in the journal Nature in 2022 found that Antarctica's snow is melting faster due to the number of tourists visiting the continent.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dich-vu-du-lich-xa-xi-o-nam-cuc-293180.html